blog | C. L. Parson

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The Liebster Award

I was nominated twice for The Liebster Award. Charles Yallowitz and Miss Molly nominated me. Thank you both.

This award is designed for bloggers with less than 200 followers.

The rules are:
* Share eleven facts about yourself with your fellow bloggers.
* Make sure to answer the awarder’s eleven questions.
* Ask eleven questions of your own.
* Nominate eleven bloggers for this award.

Eleven Facts:

1. I am a huge zombie fan.

2. I enjoy reading nonfiction books by individuals who do what they love and get paid to do it. I am currently reading Kevin Smith’s Tough Shit. (I hope to work with him some day.)

3. I still dress up for Halloween. I was a werewolf last year.

4. I am still going to college. It takes a lot longer when you can only take classes at night.

5. Anne Rice was a huge inspiration to me as a writer. She also helped convince me to stick through the college route. No one can every take away your education.

6. A poem of mine was published in The Stonepile Writers Anthology: Volume 1.

7. I’m allergic to cats.

8. Though I am a huge fan of horror writing, I can’t help to add a little humor in the mix.

9. Mark Twain is one of my idols.

10. I am paranoid about eating anything past it’s “best by” or “sell by” date, even if it is only the day after the date printed.

11. I married a drummer. He is amazing!

Here are the 11 questions from Charles.

What is your favorite pizza topping?
Tomato Sauce. Doesn’t taste right without the sauce.
Do you have a nickname? If so, what and why?
I had a nickname, but I don’t want to repeat it. Thanks Heath! 😛
Who is your hero?
My parents because they taught me that family is the most important thing in the world. Everything else is merely icing on the cake.
What was the last song you listened to?
Jeannie . Riley’s “Harper Valley PTA”
What is your biggest fear?
It used to be zombies. Now I think my biggest fear is failure.
If you had a choice between riding an elephant or a camel, which would you choose? Why?
Elephant! They are my favorite!
Is there an animal that you identify with? Why?
Probably the wolf. The wolf’s needs and wants are simple, and she goes after them with dedication and perseverance. I feel like I do the same.
What is your favorite season? Why?
I like Fall, while it is still pretty warm. I love summer too, but not when it is Africa hot.
Do you wish I was better at asking questions?
I think you are doing just fine.
In a fight between King Kong, Dracula, and Kenny from South Park, who would win?
Kenny would be dead before the fight ever started. Dracula could try to drain King Kong, but King Kong would simply bat at him as though Dracula were a mosquito. I would have to give this one to King Kong.
Do you believe that everyone has the ability to be an artist?
Absolutely!

Here are 11 questions from Miss Molly.

1. Best day of your life so far. I got this from “City Slickers,” that scene when the guys are riding along with the herd and talking. And like their rules, the best day can’t be the day any of your kids were born.
When I married my husband.

2. If you could be somebody else for a day, who would it be and why?
Anne Rice just to see what else she is working on.

3. What are your three favorite foods?
Pickled eggs, chocolate, and okra. Not always together, but not always separate either.

4. When did you consider yourself grown-up (if you do)? If you don’t consider yourself grown-up, what will be the marker?
I will never grown up!

5. What tokens, charms, special objects do you keep around to inspire your writing or other work you do if you’re not a writer?
I don’t have any tokens or charms to inspire me. Looking out the window helps.

6. If you could make up your own astrology signs, what would the name of your sign be and what would be the symbol? Explain.
Good question. I have no idea.

7. Who was your favorite high school teacher and why.
How can I pick just one? All of my English teachers were wonderful and really encouraged me.

8. What was the last live music performance you attended? How did you like it?
Rammstein. It. Was. EPIC!

9. As a kid, what was your favorite book? Do you still have a copy?
Maniac Magee. My brother has our copy.

10. Someone once said it’s not what we give that defines love but what we give up. Have you ever given up anything for love? What and why?
What haven’t I given up for love? He’s worth it. 🙂

11. What’s your favorite mode of travel?
Boat. I love the water!

Here are my questions.

1. If you could use only one word to describe yourself, what would that word be?

2. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

3. What is your passion?

4. Who was the most influential person in your life?

5. What is your favorite movie?

6. Who is your favorite horror movie villain?

7. Car, boat, airplane, or train?

8. Oxford comma, yes or no?

9. Self-publishing or traditional publishing?

10. Kindle or Nook?

11. Glass half-full or half-empty?

I nominate:
http://carlynross.wordpress.com/
http://abbeywilson.wordpress.com/
http://ansieh.wordpress.com/
http://littlebitofholland.wordpress.com/
http://onegirlvaudeville.com/
http://gwenstephens.wordpress.com/
http://adamnathan.com/
http://writerrbdavis.wordpress.com/
http://jamieweilwritingmatters.wordpress.com/
http://lovelybooksblog.wordpress.com/
http://kerricull.wordpress.com/

Happy Writing!

C. L. Parson

Tags: awards, blog, book, writing

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Uncategorized

5 Things You Need to be a Writer

13 Feb

1. A medium

ex: pen or pencil and paper, typewriter, computer, smart phone, tablet, audio recorder

This kind of medium…

… not this kind of medium.

2. Buttocks (ass)

3. Chair (to sit your buttocks in)

4. Window (to gaze out of while waiting for inspiration to strike)

Right

Wrong

5. Imagination

C. L. Parson

Tags: bill gates, blog, buttocks, chair, computer, donkey, paper, pen, spongebob, typewriter, window, writer, writing

Comments 33 Comments
Categories Writing

A Little Reminder

11 Feb

This is my desktop background.

C. L. Parson

Tags: blog, inspiration, writing

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Life

My Introduction To Screenplays: Sink or Swim

11 Feb

You know that person who says they learned how to swim when their asshole dad threw them into the river/lake/pond/ocean? Or maybe you are that person. It was a terrifying experience, one that left the traumatized flounder-er seeking professional help in the form of therapy (and maybe swimming lessons at the local Y) for years to come. But what is important to remember is that this person survived, or their harrowing tale would have never seen the light of day.

This is what writing screenplays is like for me. It seems easy at first. I put my pinky toe in, testing the waters. In an instant, my toe testing becomes a belly flop of doom into the dark abyss of screenplay writing. I flounder at my keyboard as I try to adhere to the correct format, treading long enough to catch my breath before the script swallows my head again.

Somehow, I manage to throw myself onto the beach of a deserted island, gasping for breath, thankful for what I was able to accomplish, though I certainly won’t be winning any medals. I did it. My ideas are on paper, somewhat in the correct format, and I am still breathing.

However, the only way to get off this island is to keep swimming. The only way to finish this script is to keep writing. Is it painful? Yes. Is it embarrassing? Absolutely. Will I swim or let my script and my great ideas sink to the bottom of my psyche to never surface again? I am gonna doggy paddle my ass off.

Even if my screenplay doesn’t succeed and I never learn the right way to write one, it will still make one hell of an awesome story.

C. L. Parson

Tags: belly flop, blog, screenplays, scripts, swimming, writing

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Writing

Tag! I’m it!

28 Jan

My wonderful friend Catherine Scully tagged me in her blog. So now I must write seven unusual facts about myself. Here it goes…

1. When I was born, one of my feet was folded back against my shin. I had to wear special shoes to correct it.

2. Though many may know about my zombie obsession, most probably don’t know that they used to terrify me. But now I know I could take some zombie names and kick some zombie ass.

3. As a kid, when my family went anywhere, I always had to see what the bathroom looked like. It may or may not have carried over into adulthood.

4. My husband and I met at a haunted house we both worked at. I guess you could say it was love at first fright?

5. On my first ever ski trip, I skied a Black Diamond…on my butt.

6. I think there are ghosts in my house.

7. No matter where or when, I will always stop what I am doing and dance when Gangnam Style comes on.

C. L. Parson

Tags: blog, edit, fun, ghosts, life, writing

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Life

Killing My Darlings Part Deux

11 Jan

Time for a mini rant, y’all.

I don’t mind taking an editing machete to my zombie pages. No problem whatsoever. But those suckers won’t stay dead! I have a few pages that are shambling along slower than a brain biter with broken ankles. Every time I go for a head shot and try to kill the pages, they get right back up again.

So what’s the deal? I think the pages are feeding off my fear that killing the pages will hurt the timeline of my novel. My fear is keeping these damn pages alive. No matter what I do, I can’t figure out a way to cut the pages and make it work.

There is only one solution. Completely rewriting that whole section of the book and altering the timeline. *Slams head on desk*

Why does revising have to be so painful? I have no problem cutting pages, but when it means completely revamping my timeline, scheme, and maybe even my character development, it causes me serious anxiety problems. Not because I am so devoted to the original work as it stands. That isn’t it at all. It is because I am lazy and a total face lift of that part of my novel feels like so much work.

Yet it must be done. Crap.

C. L. Parson

I fucking love editing!

Tags: blog, blogging, book, editing, novel, writer, writing

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Editing

Every End is a New Beginning

9 Jan

On December 12th 2012, 13 days before Christmas, I found out the baby I was carrying had died. I was one day shy of being 13 weeks pregnant, but the miracle inside me had stopped growing at 9 weeks and the tiny heart was no longer beating. I could almost hear my own heart shatter. It was the hardest day of my life.

To help ward off depression, I threw myself into my book. I had finished the first draft, but the last 70 pages or so were all handwritten so I spent most of my time transcribing it on the computer. When I wasn’t writing, I was reading. Anything to take my mind off of what had happened. I wasn’t happy with my life at the moment, so I spent as much time as I could living the lives of the characters I was writing or reading about.

Now it is time to start living my life again. With the New Year comes new beginnings. We have all heard it before. Usually I would just roll my eyes. However, this year, I feel the saying is appropriate.

I finished transcribing the handwritten manuscript. I am now revising my book, which is much like writing a whole new book all together. But now I have a chance to make it a better book. I am not starting over, I am just making it better. I am better prepared for what I want the overall outcome to be and how to get there. It may not be the most fun. I don’t think anyone really enjoys the rewriting process. But the headaches and the frustration will all be worth it when I am finally able to hold my new, perfected book in my hands.

The same goes with my family and our hopes to add one more member to it. We are waiting a couple of months, but we have decided to try again after our loss. We are definitely not trying to replace our loss with a new baby. We are not starting over. Nothing will erase the pain we felt after hearing the news that our baby had died, but I know I will see my angel baby again one day in a place where there is no pain. After our tragedy, we are now better prepared for all the possibilities, and when we conceive again, we will more than likely be paranoid and worry the whole 9 months. In the end, the worrying and the paranoia will all be worth it when I can finally hold my new, perfect baby in my arms.

C. L. Parson

Tags: beginning, birth, blog, books, butterfly, death, end, miscarriage, writing

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Life, Writing

Why Write?

7 Dec

When I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and my insides turn to jelly from the pressure of responsibility, I ask myself this question. Why write? After all, it isn’t the most lucrative career. Much like actors or musicians, only a handful writers break through to become super stars. The rest, who are just as talented, lead lives of mediocrity and midlist, never quite reaching best-seller status. If this were all about money, I would have chosen a career where I could make big bucks. I could have been an accountant, a doctor, a rocket scientist… a contender (come on, you knew it was coming). But instead, I have been working for five years now on an English degree. English majors are not known for their big paychecks. So obviously it isn’t just about the money.

Though I think of writing as my passion and my preferred career path, I still work an average 40-hour-a-week office job. GASP! It isn’t my dream, but it pays the bills. Though it isn’t about the money, I have mouths to feed at home. I can be a starving writer, but I won’t allow my family to starve. Many people would accept the careers they fell into, regardless of whether or not they are passionate about what they do. They wake up, go to work, come home, watch TV, and go to bed. Wash, rinse, and repeat ad infinitum. However, I am not like many people. No matter what I am doing, I continue to fight until I reach full-time writer status, the career I love. At work, I have a post it on my computer. It says, “I am a writer. I write books.” I have this to remind myself not to get too comfortable because there are bigger and better things ahead of me. I just have to get there. Why struggle and bust my ass for something that is never guaranteed? Because it is my passion and when one has a passion, one is willing to shed blood, sweat, and tears for it. My passion is writing books that I want to read. It is as simple as that.

Lastly, I think I write because I have an overwhelming desire to communicate with the masses. Though I write fiction, I try to include real world issues and ideas. Though there may be magic, ghosts, and dark entities, they are just mediums through which I deliver the bigger picture. I strongly believe that art should make a person cry, laugh, nod, or shake his head. As long as it causes a reaction, it is art.

That is why I write; because I have something to say, something that I am passionate about, and I want to get a rise out of you. That is the only pay I need.

C. L. Parson

Tags: blog, book, fun, love, novel, passion, writer, writing

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Writing

A Little More About My Novel “ASYLUM”

7 Nov

What is the working title of your book?

Asylum.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I go to school in Dahlonega. It is a very cool little town in North Georgia and I thought it was time to write a novel set in the old gold-mining settlement. As for the actual plot, I noticed I’ve read a lot of books about the paranormal and the supernatural, but these books rarely have ghosts. So, I thought it was time to write a scary ghost story. Other than that, it just kind of came to me as I sat in my kitchen. I was working on another book that didn’t really go anywhere. I let my mind wander and came up with the outline for Asylum. I was so excited about it, I scraped the old book and began working on Asylum.

What genre does your book fall under?

Horror.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in the movie rendition?

I would love for Olivia Wilde to play Jet. I believe Wilde would be able to portray the evolution of Jet. There are some emotional and violent scenes in this book and I believe Wilde’s talent would be put to good use in portraying what Jet goes through and how it affects her. As for Sawyer, I think Joe Manganiello would be a good choice. He can be tough as well as vulnerable, a flexibility that is essential to properly portraying Sawyer.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Jet infiltrates the oldest asylum in Georgia to discover the truth behind her sister’s suicide only to be admitted as a patient and forced to fight for her own life.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I hope to go the traditional route and get an agent. But first, I must finish polishing my manuscript.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

A little under two years.

What other books would you compare this to within your genre?

I would compare it to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods only because we both include myth and legend as real beings in our novels. He is certainly a much better writer. I would also compare it to Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stakehouse series because the humor element is similar.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Eventually, I would like to quit my day job and write full time. I hope to someday support my family comfortably with my writing, so that is really what drove me to finish this book. That and I absolutely loved the plot and characters.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

It is a unique story I have never seen done before. I wouldn’t have written it if it had been done to death. It is a ghost story that contains other horror elements revolving around the cultures of different groups in the US like the Cherokee.

C. L. Parson

Tags: asylum, blog, book, fiction, horror, novel, writing

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Writing

Using Podcasts for Inspiration

12 Oct

I am a podcast fiend. They help me get through the monotony that is my day job. But they have started to serve a much more important purpose other than just a mental escape to help me keep my sanity. To my surprise, podcasts have become wonderful inspirational tools for my writing.

First, I started to just browse around for podcasts that interested me. I am a huge fan of “We’re Alive”, a radio drama podcast about survivors of the “zombie” apocalypse. As I waited for new episodes of “We’re Alive”, I explored the realm of podcasts a little deeper. I am big into paranormal experiences, legends, etc, so I found a few podcasts about those subjects. These podcasts were like a match to a keg of gun powder. My mind exploded with ideas for my next novel. Though the podcasts don’t include all of the information I will need for the new plot lines, they provided a great springboard from where I can start my real research.

Podcasts are also useful in other ways. There are podcasts for everything. There are even podcasts about podcasts (shout out to “We’re Not Dead”). Even the most off the wall podcast has plenty to offer. There are some podcasts whose hosts make me cringe with embarrassment for them. They are obviously not cut out for radio. But that doesn’t mean they are boring. Far from it. The less polished the podcaster, the more I am able to “see” the personality of that person as they really are. I am talking about characters, people. I note their speaking patterns, the phrases they use over and over again but always in the wrong context, whether or not they have a slight wheeze to their voice, etc.

These subtle character traits help me develop dialogue that feels more true to life. Think of it as people-watching, only you don’t get those ugly glares back from the strangers you are staring at. And you wouldn’t believe what kind of personal information a perfect stranger will tell a microphone for millions to hear yet won’t tell a curious writer on the street.

I’m telling you, podcasts are a never-ending goldmine of plot and character ideas. Give it a shot and see for yourself. No need to thank me.

C. L. Parson

Tags: blog, blogging, character, host, novel, people, plot, podcasts, radio, story, we're alive, we're not dead, writing